Rating Metro's response to the Red Line crash

Today marks the one year anniversary of the deadliest crash in Metrorail history. A March Washington Post poll found that about half (49 percent) of area residents said they approved of the way Metro responded to that crash and the series of accidents that followed, 35 percent disapproved and 16 percent said they had no opinion.

Views of the agency's response tilted negative among frequent riders (45 percent disapproved vs. 42 percent who approved), with intensity solidly on the negative side (20 percent "strongly" disapproved compared with just 6 percent who strongly approved). Among those who said they rode the red line most often, 52 percent approved of Metro's response.

D.C. residents had the strongest negative reaction to Metro's handling of the accidents, with 26 percent saying they "strongly" disapprove and 41 percent disapproving overall. In Maryland and Virginia, about a third disapproved of the agency's handling of the accidents.

Despite the accident, most who ride Metro rated the transit agency positively on safety issues. Just over six in 10 frequent riders rated Metro positively on safety, but the feeling is tepid with just 13 percent calling its handling of safety issues "excellent." Among those who say they are riding Metro less often than a few years ago, 35 percent cited safety concerns as a reason.